Andy Byford's MTA bus action plan (mtamaster edition)
In April 2018, in response to a citywide transit crisis and complaints about the general quality of MTA bus service, the MTA published a Bus Action Plan detailing 28 suggestions to improve the bus system. Within twelve months, targeted corridor improvements were to be implemented, some bus stops would be removed to speed up service, and off-peak bus service would be expanded on strategic routes. As part of the plan, there will be a system-wide redesign of the bus network by 2021 to improve connectivity and provide more direct service. Expanding bus priority is also part of the plan. Traffic Signal Priority would be implemented on additional routes, and new bus lanes and queue jump lanes would be instituted. In addition, the MTA would study ways to implement exclusive bus lanes and busways on priority corridors. To ensure that bus lanes are not blocked, dedicated transit-priority traffic teams would be put into place with the NYPD in 2019. Tap readers would be installed by the end of 2020, and all-door boarding would be installed with the introduction of a new contactless payment system that is planned to replace the MetroCard. There would be regular fare enforcement on bus routes to reduce fare evasion. The plan also contained some improvements to bus riders' experience. All buses delivered after April 2018, as well as over 1,000 existing buses, would also receive digital information screens with automated announcements. In addition, by the end of 2018, new bus maps would be designed to make it easier to comprehend the bus network and to provide location-specific maps for neighborhoods in each neighborhood. Although the MTA had already started installing bus stop signs with real-time information, the Action Plan called for more bus shelters to be equipped with these signs. Starting in 2019, the MTA's mobile app would provide real-time seat availability information on selected bus routes. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, the agency announced its transition to a zero-emissions electric bus fleet. The MTA also tested out a double-decker bus on the redesigned Staten Island bus routes in 2018. Proposed new bus routes In 2015, the MTA began a comprehensive study of express bus lines on Staten Island. These lines had not been drastically changed since the 1980s, and as a result, they had been updated piece-by-piece. The MTA proposed replacing all of the existing express bus routes with simpler and shorter variants, a proposal supported by 76% of Staten Island residents who had learned about the study. In March 2018, after hosting several meetings with Staten Island residents, the MTA announced that express bus service to Staten Island was expected to be completely reorganized in August 2018. As part of the redesign, all of the existing bus routes would be discontinued and replaced with 21 new routes with a "SIM" prefix on August 19, 2018. The "SIM" prefix was chosen to reduce confusion with the "X"-prefixed routes they replaced, but deviate from the "S" prefix used by local Staten Island bus routes. A study on the Bronx routes is expected to occur by 2019, followed by Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. New Staten Island routes The new express bus lines largely serve the same areas as the existing routes through Staten Island. Unlike the old express routes, some of which serve both downtown and midtown Manhattan in the same trip, the new routes only serve a specific section of Manhattan. In the new system, there are five major groupings of routes that run along the same streets in Manhattan. On average, each of the new routes has fewer turns and less mileage compared to the old express lines. Four routes (SIM4X, SIM5X, SIM6X, and SIM8X) will also be part of a pilot program where they travel non-stop from a park-and-ride facility to Manhattan. These routes carry the "X" suffix, as they are variants of regular express routes that travel along the same corridors. As of December 2019, the SIM5X and SIM6X have been discontinued, the SIM9, SIM11 and SIM33C have been added, and the SIM1C, SIM3C, SIM4C and SIM33C have been rebranded to the SIM1, SIM3, SIM14 and SIM13 respectively. All express routes will run during peak hours only unless otherwise indicated. Bronx routes The Bronx bus redesign went under a number of changes, with redesigns being mostly based on being straight forward and direct. Proposed changes included: *Rebranding the Bx4A into the Bx44 between Southern Boulevard and Westchester Square via Westchester Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue. *Splitting the Bx5 weekdays into a new Bx45 between Parkchester and Bay Plaza via Bruckner Boulevard. *Rebranding the Bx6-SBS and Bx46 into three new routes: **Bx6 local between Riverside Drive and Hunts Point via E 155th/161st/163rd Streets and Hunts Point Avenue. **Bx46 between Melrose and Hunts Point via E 156th Street and Longwood Avenue **Bx56-SBS between Riverside Drive and Soundview-Lafayette Avenue via E 155th/161st/163rd Streets and Hunts Point Avenue. *Cut Bx8 back to Dean/Layton Avenues in Country Club. *Revamp the Bx10 to run between Riverdale and Norwood via Bedford Park; Williamsbridge branch discontinued. *Reroute the Bx11 from Southern Boulevard to Parkchester via Boston Road and E 174th Street. *Revamp the X72 into a "Pilot" Bx12x-SBS making select stops between Inwood and Pelham Bay. *Split Bx15 into Bx15 and M125 between Fordham and The Hub/The Hub and West Harlem respectively. *Reroute the Bx16 in eastchester via E 233rd St and Dyre Av; also cut Norwood terminal from Webster Avenue/E 204th Street to Bainbridge Avenue/E 205 St. *Split Bx18 into Bx18 loop between E 170 St-Grand Concourse and Morris Heights via E 168 St and Undercliff/Sedgwick Avenues and new Bx48 between Melrose-163Rd Street and River towers via Malcombs Road, Jerome Avenue and East 165th Street. *Extend Bx22 to Bedford Park weekdays between 6:30AM-10:00PM *Revamp Bx23 to become Co-op City Loop via 1-2-3-4 *Extend Bx24 from Country club to Throgs Neck via Stadium Avenue, Dean Avenue and Throgs Neck Expressway. *Cut Bx26 to Asch loop. *Cut Bx28 to Bay Plaza and discontinue Bx38 *Cut the Bx29 to Pelham Bay and add 24/7 service *Revamp the Bx30 to operate between Pelham Parkway/Boston Road and Co-op City-Dreiser loop; Bx37 discontinued *Reroute Bx34 from Valentine/Bainbridge Avenues to Webster Avenue south of E 204 St. *Extend Bx35 from Southern Boulevard to Jennings St and West Farms Road. *Revamp Bx36, Bx40, Bx42, Bx54 and Bx58 service in Central Bronx **Bx36 rerouted from E 174 St and E 180 St to White Plains Road and E Tremont Avenue between Parkchester and Webster Avenue **Bx40 rerouted onto E 180 St between White Plains Road and Webster Avenue; Fort Schuyler terminal cut to Harding Avenue **Bx42 revamped to operate between Westchester Square and Fort Schuyler via E Tremont Avenue, Balcolm Avenue, Harding Avenue and Pennyfield Avenue **Bx54 revamped to operate between Fordham Plaza and Throgs Neck via E 182nd St and Cross Bronx Service Road; service to Flushing replaced by Q44 **Bx58 cut from Barretto Point and rerouted to Westchester Square via Zerega Avenue. *Bx43 expanded to run 7 days a week between Dyre Avenue station and Pelham Bay and rerouted via Section 5 *Bx50 cut from Co-op City to Pelham Bay *New Bx53 between Mount Vernon and Bay Plaza via Baychester Avenue, Dyre Avenue, West Sanford Boulevard, Muddy Lane and West 1st Street *Bx70 revamped to operate between Earhart Lane and Wakefield via White Plains Road, E 233rd street and 3-5 in Co-op City. *Reroute BxM2 from Major Deegan to Henry Hudson Parkway *Add peak service for riders between Van Cortlandt Park and University Heights on BxM3; previously served by BxM12 *Reroute BxM4 off Grand Concourse to serve only Woodlawn and Wakefield via E 233rd St, Katonah Avenue and Nereid Avenue. *New BxM5 to replace BxM11 and run between Wakefield and Midtown via Boston Road and Bronxwood Avenue *Discontinue off-peak BxM6 and replace it with a rerouted BxM10 at those times *Streamline the routing and discontinue service on Westchester Avenue, Crosby Avenue, and Jarvis Avenue for current BxM8 City Island trips. *Revamp BxM12/18 trips to operate between Yonkers and Downtown via Hudson Yards, with BxM12 serving Broadway and Peck Slip and BxM18 serving Riverdale Avenue and Wall Street. As of Mid-November 2018, the proposed routes are the following: Bronx Local